23rd Anniversary of Exxon Valdez: Have we learned anything?

Published on 2012 · 03 · 23 by The Raincoast Conservation Foundation

For Immediate Release: March 23rd, 2012

On The 23rd Anniversary Of The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Disaster: Have We Learned Anything?

Sidney, BC – On the 23rd anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the question arises whether the Canadian government has learned anything from the 1989 disaster that occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The answer appears to be a resounding “no,” given the support to expand Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline and the dramatic escalation in oil tanker traffic that will accompany it.

“On the south coast of B.C., Kinder Morgan’s pipeline expansion would see 229 oil tankers filled with tar sands bitumen annually transit from Burrard Inlet through the Salish Sea as they head for hydrocarbon-hungry American and Asian markets,” said Raincoast Conservation Foundation executive director Chris Genovali.

“The Gulf Island’s tanker route is also risky from a vessel traffic perspective. More than 400,000 vessel movements occur annually on the coast, and accidents such as collisions, groundings and fires are common. Serious inadequacies in response capabilities have been identified by federal and provincial agencies that would hinder rescue and containment operations,” said Raincoast Marine Operations Coordinator Brian Falconer.

The south coast relies heavily on the availability of American rescue tugs based out of Washington state to respond to incidents. Procedures between the B.C. government and the federal government to coordinate responses to large vessel incidents are not well harmonized.

A November 2010 article by Postmedia News revealed that according to an internal audit, “The Canadian Coast Guard lacks the training, equipment and management systems to fulfill its duties to respond to offshore pollution incidents such as oil spills… The audit paints an alarming picture of an agency that would play a key role in Canada’s response to a major oil spill off the world’s longest coastline.” The article also identifies the relatively paltry budget of $9.8 million for the coast guard’s environmental response unit.